[Trivial Psychic]

I would expect full campaign mode to involve something more like an RPG mode between missions.  The player would move through the ship, interacting with other pilots, playing card games in the pilots' ready room, trying to pick up deck hands at the bar, receiving briefings, and perhaps even finding traitors among the crew.

I'd also expect some micro-transactions (since that's more of a thing nowadays) giving you decals for your fighter, maybe requesting specific mechanics to maintain your ship, and once you get to wing-leader status, being able to recruit specific pilots to fly with you.

[Nightmare]

Well that sounds like a mixture of WoD and SF Event Horizon.

[General Battuta]

Hopefully that won't happen. RPG mode would be insanely expensive and balloon the scope tremendously. Maybe you'd get animated menus.

It would probably be a lot more like Override. Gameplay first, briefings are text with voice and some animations.

[Mobius]

Space sims with prominent RPG elements have been, uh, let's say, quite rare so far. The only example I can think of is Star Ixiom.

[Strygon]

Galaxy on Fire comes to mind but that's a mobile game so.... eh.

Oh, there's the X Series, I think there was also Wing Commander: Privateer.

And Star Citizen, when it releases in 2335 

[mjn.mixael]

And Star Citizen, when it releases in 2335 

So SC is the reason the Shivans attack?

[Strygon]

Yes, the only reason they attack us are because they want to get refunds.

[Nightmare]

Damn Croberts what will you unleash upon us

[Su-tehp]

goddamn, all that future death and destruction and near-genocide just over a video game?

Sounds like the plot of WarGames.

[Nightmare]

goddamn, all that future death and destruction and near-genocide just over a video game?

Sounds like the plot of WarGames.

It's not that I didn't prophecised something like that: https://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=90080.msg1874389#msg1874389

[Iain Baker]

If V did do a FS3 they would have to do something pretty damn special for it to be better than some of the campaigns you guys have made. When I played FS Port and FS Blue last year - after having played several of HLP's original campaigns - I was struck by just how short, simplistic (and dare I say it) a bit crap their missions were in comparison - even with the FSPort and FS Blue enhancement.
I would rate (at least) Nostos, BP and Scrolls as having more interesting mission designs tha retail FS1 or 2.

Modders have the advantage of not having deadlines, so they can make improvements over years - or in some cases decades. A notional retail FS3 would not have this luxury, which would restrict what they could do with it.

This is a problem the GSC Gameworld are facing with STALKER 2 - some of the megamods - such as Anomaly - are so bloody good and have so much new content in them that it will be difficult to top them. STALKER 2 will no doubt look better and have better physics (its running on UE4) but in other ways it may end up being inferior to what the community has made already.

[Nightmare]

I always disliked FS1 mission design, but FS2 holds up well against most community made campaigns despite having a much simpler toolset.

[jr2]

If we were the ones asking to make content, we could tell them to take their time and do it right?

[mjn.mixael]

Who's paying for them to take their time?

[CP5670]

I would certainly play FS3 if it came out, but don't particularly desire it anymore. I feel like the community has made FS3 already. There doesn't have to be a single, canonical plot, and many of the campaigns we have at this point rival commercial games in both the story and content. Any FS3 made by Volition today would be held to very different standards than the old games, and would have to be made on a tight budget. If they stick to the original FS gameplay and formula, it would be at best a good game, not an amazing one like FS2 was for its time. Think Strike Suit Zero or Overload. On the other hand, if they expand its scope a lot and try to make it like Star Citizen or something, it would divide the fanbase if it ever comes out at all. A lot of modern sequels to old games (especially the kickstarter funded ones) have been disappointing, even if they were made by the same developers.

As for the IP, the only thing that would be useful for is preventing frivolous lawsuits against HLP or campaign creators in the future. The cost of actually funding a game with it will be many times higher than the IP itself.

If V did do a FS3 they would have to do something pretty damn special for it to be better than some of the campaigns you guys have made. When I played FS Port and FS Blue last year - after having played several of HLP's original campaigns - I was struck by just how short, simplistic (and dare I say it) a bit crap their missions were in comparison - even with the FSPort and FS Blue enhancement.
I would rate (at least) Nostos, BP and Scrolls as having more interesting mission designs tha retail FS1 or 2.

The standards for missions and gameplay really changed a lot over the years. There was a time when all the Volition missions were considered the gold standard and something for mission designers to aspire to, but today a lot of them feel dated. The same applies to some of the older campaigns.

[jr2]

Who's paying for them to take their time?

Kickstarter / IndieGoGo / GoFundMe / etc, if we set it up right.  Would be a bit to set up I imagine but probably worth it if we got the rights.  Just make sure something like FRED is included no matter what though.

[Strygon]

So in a way, one could say the real Freespace 3 were the friends we made along the way.

[DefCynodont119]

So in a way, one could say the real Freespace 3 were the friends we made along the way.

Hey I already made that joke. 

The Real Freespace 3 is the friends we made along the way.

Big words for someone within shooting distance of Holley.

Holley, get em!

[Nightmare]

She has been around only 2 or 3 times since she had that crazy incident with an internet weirdo though.